CDC says it is closely monitoring the outbreak of new bird flu strain in Indiana

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely monitoring individuals who may have been exposed to the new strain of bird flu that has been found in a flock of turkeys in Indiana, a CDC health official said on Friday.

Dr. Michael Jhung, a medical officer at the CDC, said there is no evidence of human infection related to the new bird flu strain known as H7N8, but the agency and local health officials are not taking any chances.

“There’s always the possibility of implications to human health when you see a new flu virus in animals, like we’re seeing now in turkeys,” Jhung told Reuters in an interview.

Jhung said the CDC and local health departments are already implementing a program designed after last year’s large bird flu outbreak in poultry, and will monitor people in close contact with infected birds.